Software Solutions, formerly Northgate Public Services, is a provider of specialist software and outsourcing services for the public sector based in the United Kingdom. It was acquired by NEC Corporation in January 2018.

The company was founded as CMC (Computer Machinery Company Limited) on 18 September 1969 by Ray Parry. They were originally distributors and subsequently manufacturers of key-to-disk computer systems made by a US-based Computer Machinery Corporation. The systems were used by companies and government departments for data capture. In 1976, CMC developed a bit-slice microprocessor-based intelligent the P99—which it is used both as a front-end processor to the key-to-disk systems and as a terminal, in its own right. It then evolved the P99 into the P141—another front-end processor, which it used to implement a new data capture system called Sovereign. This was used in manufacturing companies such as Rolls-Royce plc, British Steel Corporation and various government departments, including providing data capture for the DHSS at Newcastle upon Tyne. It later evolved into the M8000 system, based on Intel-processor-based systems.

In 1976, CMC merged with Microdata Corporation, a California-based computer company, whose 1973-released Reality operating and database environment product CMC was also distributing. The companies continued to use separate trading names in their respective regions until 1981. The Reality name was given to Microdata's computer system and the operating system—a version of the Pick operating system. Microdata owned rights to the Pick operating system in parallel with Dick Pick – who had developed it with Microdata. CMC Leasing Limited (the official trading name) then changed its name to Microdata UK limited, aka MUK. The company then started UK manufacture of the Reality range of computer systems in Hemel Hempstead. Microdata was purchased by McDonnell Douglas Corporation in 1985 and the company was re-branded as McDonnell Douglas Information Systems Limited (MDIS).

The company introduced the M9000 (called Sequoia in the U.S.) which offered dynamic performance using soft-loaded firmware and processor performance keys using the same hardware components to minimise sparing and maximise cost-effectiveness, (although 1Mb memory sold for 25,000 GBP in those days). A new manufacturing and office complex was built in Boundary Way, Hemel Hempstead. Work started almost as soon as the building opened to double its size. The company then produced the UK-designed Spirit processor which was launched as a lower-end Reality product as the M6000. Later the company developed the Series 19 (aka Pegasus) successor to the Sequoia using a development team spanning the engineering facilities in Hemel Hempstead, UK, and Irvine, California.

In 1989, the second new building was completed. It accommodated the thousand staff then at the head office. At the time, the company was thought to have one of the largest company car fleets in the UK (Hertz).^{[citation needed]}

1992 was the last year MDIS developed computer systems in-house, which meant the end of domestic manufacturing within the UK. It continued its hardware and systems integration work, having produced RealityX, an open platform Reality environment (internally known for a time as CORA). This was the result of several years of development taking the Reality operating system (ROS) and re-engineering into a Unix application capable of running on non-MDIS computers. RealityX provided not only end user/application compatibility but also provided it at the developer assembler level. The same source code was used for RealityX and the original Reality implementations. RealityX allowed the Reality operating environment and applications developed for Reality to continue to be sold and maintained under the SeriesX name.

Initially MDIS used UNIX systems from Encore Computer, then from Motorola Computer Systems and Data General—all using M88k RISC processors and Unix System V. Later they moved to run on Solaris-based systems from Sun Microsystems. The open approach eventually led to a Microsoft Windows platform in 1995 and continued feature enhancements that are still being developed as of 2007^[update]. As a corollary to this operating environment, MDIS acquired and developed its PROIV fourth-generation language (4GL), which was used worldwide by companies including Fujitsu. A variant was implemented on REALITY called ALL (Application Language Liberator).

In 1993, a management buyout occurred. 29 Senior Managers and Directors of the company, under the leadership of CEO Jerry Causley, purchased the company through Barings Bank from McDonnell Douglas.